Doran
Doran, often referred to as Doran the Dragonlover by Deltorans and Dragonfriend by dragons, was a famous explorer of Deltora. Considered a madman during his time traveling, it was widely believed that he had perished. However, to his horror, as Lief discovered, he had been enslaved by the Shadow Lord, forced to be the guardian of the creature he had been attempting to destroy. History Early life Doran was born around the late reign of King Brandon and the early reign of Brandon's son Lucan. He roamed the land far and wide, gaining the respect of many people, both Deltorans and foreigners alike, despite his reputation as being unkempt, ill-mannered and blunt. He was said to be a man "of the land" so much that he earned the respect and, eventually, friendship of all seven tribes of dragons (something unheard of as dragons kept very much to themselves and their own respective tribes conversing only rarely with any human). Dragons were looked upon with fear, and too often hatred, due to a general lack of knowledge and understanding. However Doran was welcome among each tribe as family earning the name "Dragonfriend". Expeditions in the Pirran Sea Taking clues from a number of Tenna Birdsong Tales, such as The Tale of the Pirran Pipe, The Seven Goblins and The Girl with the Golden Hair, Doran planned an expedition to the Os-Mine Hills in the north of Topaz territory originally looking for a dragon's den and upon finding it, he discovered in its depths a tunnel leading to the lands of the banished and fabled Pirrans. He was quickly expelled from the caves by the Plume tribe, who hoped that the memory-erasing powers of their secret sea would keep Doran from returning. However, he remembered the caverns like a dream and returned to them. This time he was able to befriend the Plumes and eventually he was able to reach the other two tribes, the Aurons and the Kerons. Doran kept his knowledge of the Pirran underworld secret and in return the Aurons gave him a soul-stone, a magical stone that let him remember everything despite the power of the underworld seas to forget. He visited the Pirrans several times, told them of Deltora and the Shadow Lord and brought the Aurons fire so that they could light their caverns after having been banished from their island. For this gift, the Pirrans used their powers to transport people through solid earth to the surface world to help Doran returned from their lands. They would row out in their boats to a place west of Keras and send Doran to the land above, usually near the River Tor in the territory of the Emerald. He would reappear in the brush below Dread Mountain and walk to the river bank where he waited for a boat that would take him to Del. Secrets of Deltora Having returned from a sea voyage in which he had mapped Deltora's nearest islands, Doran was asked to write a travel guide to Deltora. King Lucan wrote to him, explaining that the book would be respected by people due to Doran's reputation as an explorer, and that it would benefit the Deltoran people and visitors from overseas. Doran wanted to refuse at first, but when Lucan told him that his son, Prince Gareth, would benefit from reading about the land he would one day govern, he agreed. Doran was given the freedom to write as he travelled the land and was given enough funds to make a complete tour of Deltora to make sure the information was fresh. He wrote an introduction to his book in a room in The Seafarer Tavern. He began the book by writing about the Belt of Deltora, and the relationship between the gem territories and Deltora’s dragons. Doran began his journey in the Topaz territory, where he wrote about the palace and the city of Del before traveling north to the Os-Mine Hills. Here he met a Topaz dragon and learned that many others of the dragon's tribe had been killed by Ak-Baba. The dragon had not seen a single member of his tribe since the last full moon. It was sunset when Doran wrote about the Hills and his meeting with the dragon. The next day at dawn he left the Hills and travelled north to the Forests of Silence. He was eager to see if any dragons there had survived, but after three days through the Forests he hadn't seen a single dragon He had neglected his book during this time and made up for the lack of writing while resting in End Wood. Doran travelled north to the Ruby territory. He came to the town of Ringle and rested in The Jolly Goat inn. In his room he had privacy to write, since the other guests were in the bar where a darts competition was taking place. At dawn he left Ringle and travelled to the Painted Plain to write about the local flora and fauna. Next he travelled to the town of Broome where he took the rest of the day to write about the town and the surrounding area. At dawn he set out towards Dragon's Nest, a favourite haunt for Ruby dragons. Walking along Deltora's east coast he saw his first Ruby dragon of the trip. The dragon flew down and hovered above the water not far from a fishing boat, where she made off with a large sea serpent. When Doran came to Dragon's Nest he found the same dragon that had saved the fishermen earlier and spoke with her before returning to Broome before sunset. Doran spent a week in Broome, resting and enjoying the town’s company. He left Broome and travelled east over the Capricorn Hills, and took the Mountain Road to the far north. He turned south down the Golden Way to visit the city of D'Or. By going about it this way he was hoping to see more Ruby dragons, but to his dismay and worry, he wasn't able to spot any. He slept under the stars, since weather was fine. Doran was camped by a stream outside the village of Purley when he wrote about the Ruby North. After some time on the road Doran reached the city of D’Or. He bought a mare named Pearl from the city's famous horse-breeders. He rented a room in the Light-on-Water Inn, where he was able to bathe and eat. Out on the terrace of his room he wrote notes about the city. Before Doran travelled to Opal territory, he made a detour to the town of Raladin north of D'Or to visit friends. He came in time to share the evening meal in his friends' home. They talked long into the night about the declining number of Ruby dragons. The Ralads believed that there were only two left in their territory and Ralad builders in other territories had said that the situation was just as bad elsewhere. They had written to King Lucan, and had received a reply claiming their request would be attended to when there was time. Doran spent the night in his friend's' home, where he wrote his notes about Raladin. In the morning he returned to D'Or and from there travelled along the Opal Highway into Opal territory. He came to the River Broad and followed the river north until it met the Mountain Road, then cross a bridge over the water and travel south over the Hira Plain to the city of Hira. At night he camped beside the Broad and wrote in his book about the Opal territory. At dawn he continued north, hoping to see an Opal dragon fishing on the Broad, but he saw none. In the evening a group of Wise Fish came to Doran at the river bank where he was resting. To his shock the fish spoke. They were saddened by the killing of the Opal dragons and begged Doran to do anything in his power save the remaining ones. They also warned him not to go near the Plain, because of the increase in rats. Doran rode a day along the Broad without seeing a dragon. The farmers he met were glad that dragon numbers had fallen in the past few months, since dragons actively preyed on their livestock. At midday Doran stopped to brew tea and threw his coat on the ground. Reaching for it he was nearly bit by a Plains Scorpion. He crushed it with his book, staining one page. That day he was reminded to write about the dangers of the Opal territory. The next morning Doran saw an Opal dragon at last, hunting in the sky above the Hira Plain. He abandoned his plan to ride north and rented a boat from a farmer who promised to take care of Pearl until Doran returned. He crossed the river and spoke to the dragon. The dragon said he was the last of his kind, and that his father, Doran's friend, had died of age and grief three months earlier. The rest had been slain by Ak-Baba. The dragon had also seen a Ruby dragon killed two days earlier near the border but had done nothing to help. Doran thought the dragons depended on each other. He believed their slaughter was a Shadowlands plot to remove the land’s protectors. The dragon warned of an evil presence inside Hira, which the other Opal dragons had ignored. The citizens had not noticed it, being concerned with controlling the rat plague. They had failed and would soon abandon Hira. When they did, the dragon had vowed to destroy the evil. Before the dragon left he assured Doran that he would survive. Doran found Hira overrun by rats that spread disease and destroyed food. Three-quarters of its leaders had died from disease. All authority had passed to the rat catchers. Doran left Hira after only an hour. He reclaimed Pearl and rode north. In his book Doran advised people to stay away from Hira which he called "the City of the Rats." In the morning he reached the Mountain Road. He stopped at the town of Happy Vale to buy supplies before entering Lapis Lazuli territory by sunset and camped for the night. At dawn he followed a track to the desert called the Shifting Sands, hoping to find Lapis Lazuli dragons there. From the wall that surrounded the Sands he watched a Sand Beast catch a Scorpion Lizard. Then a Lapis Lazuli dragon, whom Doran knew, swooped from the sky and caught the Sand Beast. When she was done eating the dragon came to Doran. She had only seen two of her kind in the last moon cycle, and two days earlier she had found one of them, her mate, dead in the sand. She feared that she was the only one left. Doran was determined to find out if the dragon situation was as bad in other territories. He left the dragon, but promised her that he would return. In the night he came upon an inn called The Traveler's Rest on the Rithmere Road, where he stayed and wrote about his encounter with the dragon. In the morning Doran rode south to the town of Rithmere. He rented a room in The Happy Wanderer inn where he wrote his notes on the bustling gambler's town. The next day he rode north along the Heavenly Way, towards Emerald territory. Before crossing the border he saw the Lapis Lazuli dragon he had met earlier come flying from the Barrier Mountains and along the border. They met and she told him that she wanted to see if the Emerald dragons had fared better, but no dragon had come to warn her. Doran said that she would get herself killed, but the Lapis Lazuli dragon was confident in her abilities to outfly any emerald dragon. She was pleased at the thought that her rivals might all be dead, but then an Emerald dragon appeared, flying from the north towards them. The Lapis Lazuli dragon quickly departed and Doran rode over the border. The Emerald dragon recognized Doran and landed. Having seen Doran with her enemy, the dragon was very stiff until he said that he had met her by chance. The dragon told him that only three dragons remained after several Ak-Baba attacks over the past three years. Doran suggested that they should join together, but she rejected the idea out of pride and respect to traditions and nothing Doran said could change his mind. The dragon eventually took off and Doran rode further north.He stopped briefly to brew tea and eat and wrote about his dragon encounter. Doran rode further north and reached the Dreaming Spring. He took some of the magic spring water with him when he left, and tried to use it to visit the two other Emerald dragons in spirit. It failed, confirming that the dragon he had met was the only one alive. He rode some days without many breaks and reached the village of Shadowgate in the foothills of the Barrier Mountains. He restocked supplies and rented a room in the only tavern there, known as "Greasy's Place", where he wrote about monsters and bandits in the Mountains. The next day he left Shadowgate, riding east along the Mountain Road until reaching Dread Mountain. He lead Pearl up the Mountain by a track on its western face. They stopped beside a stream when the sun was setting. Doran could hear Kin nearby talking as they ate Boolong cones, so he wrote in his book about the Mountain, the Dread Gnomes and the Kin. After three days of talking to Kin and feasting with Dread Gnomes, Doran left the Mountain by following a stream down its western face and reached the River Tor. Riding south alongside the Tor he entered Amethyst territory. He camped at night and wrote. The next day he reached the village of Where Waters Meet, lying where the River Broad flowed into the Tor. The villagers had not seen an Amethyst dragon for weeks which pleased them because, without any dragons hunting over the Tor, there were more fish to catch. Doran rented a room in the village's only tavern, The Jumping Fish, where he wrote about the village. In the morning he rode south and in short time reached the magic city of Tora. He met with the city leaders to discuss the slaughter of dragons. Toran magic did not reach the sky, so they could not protect the dragons from Ak-Baba. Doran asked them to gain a meeting with King Lucan and talk to him about the Ak-Baba attacks on his behalf. The Torans refused, as they had only recently met with Lucan, and he had said that a slight drop in dragons was a good thing. Lucan had been very ill during the visit. Doran knew he had been ill during his sea voyage, but he was surprised that his illness had grown worse. The Torans believed that their oath of loyalty forbade them to trouble the king any more. As comfort, the leaders cast symbol-bearing fortune-telling stones in the hopes of aiding Doran on his travels. A stone bearing the symbol mening 'water', 'the river' or 'wanderer' lied with the one meaning "cloud, evil, danger or an error." The stone meaning "dragon, the land and all living things" lied with the the one meaning "a dwelling, safety or trust" and the one meaning "death, sleep or an ending." The stone meaning "hope, action, or a young leader or king" lied with the one meaning "star', birth, rebirth or a new beginning." Two stones, one meaning "a secret, a plot or something hidden" and the one meaning "the moon, time, patience or mystery" had fallen independently. The leaders believed the stones said that Doran was wrong, that the dragons, threatened with death, would survive, and that a young king, whom they believed to be Prince Gareth, would be the cause of a new beginning. Their city's symbol were absent, and they concluded that the dragons would survive without their help. They believed Gareth would solve the problem, but they had to be patient. Doran believed that there were several other ways to read the stones, and he thought that they were sending him a strong message. He did not like the stone meaning "a secret, a plot or something hidden." He felt that the cloud stone meant "danger" and not "error." He finally realized that the survival of the dragons depended on himself and decided that, once his book was complete, he would venture out and find a way to preserve what few dragons remained. .]] When Doran's meeting with the Toran leaders came to an end the sun was setting and the leaders asked Doran to stay for the night. Though it wasn't his plan to spend the night in Tora, he accepted, and used the time to write notes about the city. Before he slept he drank some of the water from the Dreaming Spring and thought about the Amethyst dragon he knew best. Doran traveled south and crossed into Amethyst territory. He traveled to the western coast, to the stretch of sand where the flow of the River Tor meets the Silver Sea. He had found the Amethyst dragon he knew best alive and well. The dragon was, as with the others Doran had met, the last of his tribe, and he believed that he would soon join them. Doran could not accept that. He showed the dragon a sketch of the fortune-telling stones, and then they talked for hours. They decided that Doran must fulfill his duty to finish the book, and so he wrote about the territory of the Amethyst. After finishing his notes, he rode south, accompanied by the dragon, to the Dreaming Dunes, which was one Doran's favorite places in the west. His horse, Pearl, had been afraid of the dragon at first, but had grown used to his company, and she watched with interest as the dragon flew high over the sea with Doran on his back as the sun was setting. At night they camped together on the dunes. Doran planned to ride along the Coast Road to Diamond territory, so that he could finish his book as fast as possible and deliver it, and then set out to carry out an idea that the fortune-telling stones had given him. He would try to convince the dragons to each fall into a magical slumber, which they could only be woken from by a king of Deltora wearing the Belt of Deltora, in order to keep themselves safe from harm. After riding for an hour, Doran crossed the Diamond border and came to a flat rock peninsula called The Finger which stretches into the Silver Sea and has two smaller islands at its tip. Here Doran visited Milly's Chowder House. He had the House for himself, and enjoyed a bowl of chowder and enjoyed Milly's new-baked bread. Here he wrote general notes on Diamond territory. Having fed and watered Pearl, Doran left her to rest in Milly's stables, sheltered from the everlasting winds, while he traveled to the closest of the two islands that The Finger pointed towards, Blood Lily Island. He found a Diamond dragon there, feeding on the flowers that gives the island its name. Like the other dragons Doran had encountered, this one was the last of her tribe. Her mate had been killed by Ak-Baba a few weeks earlier, slain on the ground as he gathered nesting stones while she was hunting. The dragon returned to her grazing. She was eating in order to build up strength so that she could take her revenge or die in the attempt. Doran felt the need to persuade her not to take the risk. He decided to write notes on Blood Lily Island as well as its smaller neighbor, the Isle of the Dead, which he advised travelers not to go to. After finishing the notes Doran showed the Diamond dragon his sketch of the Toran fortune-telling stones. The dragon pointed to the stone bearing the symbol "trust" beside the "dragon" symbol, and said that with her mate dead there were nothing in this world she could trust "but the land-and you, Dragonfriend." These words made Doran see that the he might be able to convince the dragons to sleep since they trusted him, but he knew that it would be risky. From The Finger Doran rode east along the Coast Rode, then branching off to the left to follow the Knight's Parade. He came to Jaliad, the capital of Diamond territory. He spent the night in the tavern called The Diamond, where he was able to eat and write about the city. Below his room people were singing, which made it impossible to sleep, but it did not matter as he had work to do. Knowing that Prince Gareth was to receive the original copy of his book, Doran spoke to Gareth in a way he believed Gareth would understand. Throughout his book, Doran hid a secret letter for Prince Gareth, made up from secret sentences hidden in every chapter. However, the precious book on which Doran had pinned all his hopes was locked away in a display case, and Prince Gareth, for whom it was intended, probably never even knew it existed. He certainly never read it. It seems that the Chief Advisor, Drumm (who was secretly a servant of the Shadow Lord), simply told the King and the court that a book illustrated by Withick was too valuable to be handled - especially by a boy as young as Gareth, who was only fifteen years old at the time. Drumm did not want Gareth to read the many controversial remarks that Doran could not resist including in his text - especially his passionate defense of dragons, the protectors of the land. Last Expedition Doran never knew that his book had been suppressed. After delivering it, he resumed his travels, determined to carry out his plan to save Deltora's last seven dragons. Rumors that he was losing his mind were already circulating in the palace at this time, so his warnings before leaving were ignored. Before departing, Doran wrote one final entry in the fifth volume of The Deltora Annals. ''It read as follows: "This is the explorer Doran, writing in haste. I returned yesterday from my journey to seek the remaining dragons. In grief, I tell you that not one still flies Deltoran skies. And there is even more dreadful news. I now know why the Enemy wanted the Dragons destroyed. He had a plan that the Dragons would not have tolerated. The four sisters. In the far-flung corners of the land I heard whispers of them. If what I heard is true, the sisters of the north and east are already in place. The south, and the west, will surely be next, and I can guess where, if the rumours of the locations of the others are to be believed. Whoever reads my words, show them to the King if you can. The King, wearing the Belt of Deltora, is Deltora's only salvation now. No-one will listen to me. They think I am mad. I hurried to Del without pausing to eat, wash or sleep. To these palace fools, with their soft hands and painted faces, I look like a wild man. I must set out once more, to seek proof of what I say. Another long journey . . . perhaps my last, for I fear the Enemy is aware of me. If I do not return, seek me where the Four Sisters lurk . . ." Doran drew a map on the page opposite his words, to show where he thought the Four Sisters lurked, and that page was torn out. He set out to find the Four Sisters, but he never returned, and no-one knew where to look for him. He was never seen again. In actuality, Doran was captured by the Shadow Lord and given a cruel and ironic fate. The Shadow Lord placed the Sister of the West inside Doran's body, thus condemning him as the guardian of the very creature he swore to destroy. Doran was then placed in the Isle of the Dead, Deltora's most western point, where he remained trapped by the Sister's power, helpless as it corrupted and starved Deltora. ''Cavern of The Fear Dragon's Nest On the night when King Lief destroyed the Enemy's crystal, it revealed a conversation between the Shadow Lord and his servant Drumm. The Shadow Lord spoke with Drumm regarding his plans to capture and enslave Deltora and his backup plan to use the Four Sisters as a last resort. Drumm worried that if a King discovered the Sisters he would set out to destroy them using the map Doran drew - which had been torn out of The Annals, torn into four pieces and hidden but not destroyed. The Shadow Lord dared such a King to try destroy them " I dare him to try, and go more quickly to his death". The Shadow Lord had also said "The upstart has the fate he deserves." indicating the horrific and ironic fate the Enemy had chosen for Doran. Death When Lief arrived at the Isle of the Dead with the Amethyst dragon Veritas, Doran asked the fate of the diamond Dragon, knowing that he was in Diamond territory. Learning of her death he was greatly distressed but was joyful once more at seeing the newly hatched diamond dragon they had found. He asked for Veritas to end his "Living-death" and to destroy the Sister that was in him. Veritas "took his breath, as he wished" and destroyed the Sister of the West. Legacy The grave of Doran the Dragonlover contained only his silver flask and a strange, gleaming many-coloured stone. These ancient objects were all that remained of Deltora's greatest explorer. The grave was in as wild a place as Doran could have wished, looking over the windswept rock that pointed to the Isle of the Dead, where the Sister of the West had been destroyed. After careful thought, Veritas had scratched the lettering upon the grave marker: "IN MEMORY OF DORAN, EXPLORER AND HERO, KEEPER OF PRECIOUS SECRETS, FRIEND TO THE DRAGONS OF DELTORA." The many coloured stone was Doran's soul-stone, gifted to him by the Pirrans, which was filled with the great explorer's memories - Wild and beautiful places. Thousands of faces. The secret seas "of the underworld. Flying with dragons . . . and through it all ran Doran's voice whispering the true names of the last seven dragons. Veritas, Hopian, Forta, Fortuna, Fidelis, Honora and Joyeu. But whispered as: "Veritas hopian forta fortuna fidelis honora joyeu... ". Physical appearance In Doran's old age, before his death, he had long white hair and grey eyes. His appearance when young is not known, except that he generally looked wild and unkempt, which led many of the more sophisticated Deltorans to believe that he was mad. Personality Doran loved dragons, and studied them too. He knew a lot about them, their culture, life, biology and a lot more that is unknown. During his travels, he wrote in the his journal, The Deltora Annals, for he could not trust the palace librarians to do it, for they introduced errors by making his words too polite and his map lines too neat. He was a very honest man, who loved the land, and this is what had gained him the respect of the dragons. Doran was wise and strong in mind and body. He was not afraid to challenge the Shadow Lord and do what he thought was right. Abilities Doran was wise, clever and strong, in will and body. In his younger years he was a great adventurer and explored the land in depth. Doran was always well organized and prepared on every one of his trips around the land. He understood many of Deltora's dangers, as well as the close relationship between Deltora's dragons, lands, tribes and their talismans. Doran also had the ability to talk to dragons. Doran was famous for his maps of Deltora, which were never very elegantly made but always accurate. He drew a map of the Pirran isles, and the secret underground cave system and sea in which they lay. This map lead Lief, Barda and Jasmine to the three isles of the Pirran tribes in their search for the three pieces of the Pirran Pipe. Doran was also practiced in the use of codes and employed their use in a book which King Lucan commissioned to be written for his son (which was eventually published widely to both Deltorans and foreigners alike as Secrets of Deltora). Relationships Dragons Doran had a very strong connection to the dragons and his relationship with them was very strong. Doran displayed a deep level of respect for them and they, too, trusted him. Withick Doran was a great friend of Withick, 'a genius of many talents' and an extraordinary artist. Doran often stayed at Withick's house in the Mire. Like Doran, Withick liked to be alone, and he cared for the land. He was very learned in Deltoran history, and wrote the book'' The Belt of Deltora, after which he left the palace in protest as Chief Advisor Drumm disapproved of the book and tried to destroy all the copies of it. Doran was much younger than Withick, but said 'despite the difference in our ages, we became firm friends. We think alike.' After Doran wrote ''Secrets of Deltora for Prince Gareth, he got Withick to copy and illustrate it, in the hope that it would be too valuable to be tampered with and the prince would receive it intact. Unfortunately this was not the case. Prince Gareth Doran had spent time with Prince Gareth when the prince was quite young, and apparently they enjoyed doing word games, codes and playing other games together. He wrote Secrets of Deltora for Gareth, hoping he would read and understand the coded letter he had hidden within it and would wear the Belt of Deltora always, banish the Ak-Baba and awaken the remaining dragons. Unfortunately Prince Gareth never received the book. Appearances Deltora Quest Dragons of Deltora *"Isle of the Dead" Other *"Secrets of Deltora" Trivia *Doran's notes and final adventures are the driving force behind the third series of Deltora Quest. *Doran's journal has been published by Emily Rodda in Secrets of Deltora. References Category:Characters Category:Minor characters Category:Males Category:Guardians of the Four Sisters Category:Deltorans Category:Post-Adin Deltorans Category:Deceased